Improvement in oyster-opening machines



T. v\r.l"rm,n LE.` y OYSTERLOPENING MACHINE. No, 189,966. Patented.April 2 4, 1877.A

' Witrnes ///////77/l;/// y I nveilor NA PETERS, PHOTO LTHOGRAPHERWASHINGTON TNITED STATES PATENT FFIcno THOMAS W. TEMPLE, OF LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA.

IMPRovEMi-:NT mi vslTER-oPENlNG MACHINES.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 189,966, dated April 24,187 7 application led March 15, 1871.

To all whom it may concern: trough or groove D, with theirproper edgesBe it known that I, THOMAS W. TEMPLE, upward. The point of the wedge ordart is of Los Angeles city and county, and State of then insertedbetween the two halves of the California, have invented a Machine forSplitshell, when, by pressing downward upon the ing Oyster-Shells; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact debetweenthe parts of the shell, so as to split scription thereof, referencebeing had to the or separate them. After the oyster shells areaccompanying drawings. thus split they are thrown into a pile for sub-My invention relates to a machine for splitsequent opening, ashereinafter described. ting oyster-shells preparatory to opening the Forsmall oysters, a supplemental tray or shell and removing the oyster.grooved block, H, is placed inside the groove Inopeningoyster-shells,aconsiderable force D, and in order to render itunmovable under is required to split or separate the two halves thepressure, I corrugate or tooth its bottom of the shell, after which theycan be easily edge and also a portion of the bottom of the opened andthe oysters removed, and,although groove D, so that the teeth orcorrugations the opening of one oyster can be readily acwill interlock,and thus hold the parts in conlplished by an expert with an ordinaryplace.' The pan or tray A will retain the liqoyster-knife, the operationbecomes very teu or which escapes from the shell when it is dious andtiresome when a large number of split. oysters are operated upon. Itwill be evident that the standard E and My invention provides asplitting-machine lever F could be variously applied, so as to i whichthe oysters can be successively accomplish the same purpose inconnection placed, and the shells split or separated in a with thegrooved block or oyster-holder. very expeditious, simple, and easymanner. After the shell is split the subsequent op- Referringto theaccompanying drawings, eration of opening the shells and removing Figurel is a perspective view of my device. the oysters can be accomplishedwith any A represents a tray or pan, which is secured suitableoyster-knife; but I have invented a upon a suitable base or foundation,B. In special and extremely convenient implement one end of this'tray orpan I secure a block, for this purpose, for which I have simultane- O,in the upper face or side of which is made ously with this applicationmade application a V- shaped groove, D, with concave sides. for LettersPatent.

E is a properly-braced standard, lwhich is Having thus described myinvention, what I secured to the base B directly opposite, and claim,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, in line with, the middle of thegroove D. One isend of a lever, F, is pivoted to the upper end 1. Inoyster-opening machines, the interof this standard, so that the leverwill extend changeable blocks C H, for holding oysters across above thegroove, and lengthwise with it, although it could be otherwise arranged,as will appear hereinafter.

A short bar is suspended'from the lever F, directly above the middle ofthe groove D, so form for opening the shells quickly, and prothat itwillhang down into the groove. The jections t', so that the dart cannottoo deeply lower end of this bar is made in the form of a enter theshells.

wedge, and at the upper end of the Wedge, In witness whereof I havehereunto set'my hand and seal.

and on each side, is a projection, as represent- L 77 ed. This bar andwedge I call the dart. The THOMAS W. TEMPLE' [L sl] Witnesses:

handle of the lever extends to any desired length across the pan ortray.

JOHN D. BIGKNELL, J. R. McGoNNELL.

as described.

2. In co bination with the hand-lever, the suspended art, having a shortthick wedge The oysters to be split or opened are taken one at a timeand placed, by hand, in the end of the lever F, the wedge will be forcedof diiferent sizes, constructed and arranged.

